Yep, it's those people. Which is interesting, since there don't appear to be any huge ships around.

After a second watch, as down as I am about this episode, I will say that scene between Tara and what's-her-face who Tara knocked out, where she reveals it was the Saviors who killed all of their men, was a great scene. And everyone's actions in this episode made sense from a character perspective.

It was their dad. Google "Alanna Masterson Scientology" and it'll pop up.

Yep. It was fine in the back eight of Season 4 — and even then, some of those episodes featured several groups at once — but they've gone to the well one too many times it feels like.

Tara recognizing she was being led to her death was such a breath of fresh air after all of the poor decisions that defined the last several episodes of Season 6.

I feel differently about Tara, but I think while that format worked in the back eight of S4, they've gone to the well one too many times.

I'm expecting the spring to have a much different mood based on spoilers I've read and a recent quote from Gimple, so I think it should more or less stabilize in the spring.

This is an excellent summary. As to why, I think it's a bit of both: the ratings were going to continue to decline, but I think the overall mood of this half-season and the way they're structuring it with "island episodes" has been turning people off.

I believe what you're referring to is actually the moment they arrived at Alexandria in the comics. Kirkman said in an interview once that would have been a good place to stop the series, but he kept writing.

As much as I hate to bring this up, I also think the writers have heard the "new black male is introduced, so one of the current black males is going to die" complaints. I said above that the fake-out on the bridge seemed like a clever wink toward the idea that Heath would die in a predictable way, so props to the…

I'm probably in the minority here in that I think the writers (or Gimple, at least) are often better than for which they're given credit. That said, between Gregory and Deanna in S5/6, they've been too beholden to the idea that the leaders of Alexandria and Hilltop only exist so that Rick and his group can take over.

Spinoffs are incredibly difficult to pull off. That's why I appreciate Better Call Saul as much as I do — it's not Breaking Bad by any stretch, but it's a good show, and the fact that Vince Gilligan managed to make it into a good show highlights why he's one of the best TV writers alive, if not the best.

I think it's almost likely we'll see at least one episode dip below 10M in the back eight. I've often said Grey's Anatomy is a good show to compare this one to ratings-wise, and it first dipped below 10M during its seventh season.

I've generally liked this half-season so far, mostly because I've enjoyed the characterizations/acting, the world-building and them going away from gimmickry and contrived stupidity. That said, as much as I find Tara's character genuinely charming and worthy of screen time, dedicating an entire episode to her —…

It's lost viewers every single week without stabilizing, though the decline was far more noteworthy in the first three weeks than it has been since. Still very strong, but it's a worrisome trend for AMC for sure.

It's only purpose was to help AMC milk the brand further. Heck, we didn't even get the show that was promised (showing how society fell). I've actually grown to like most of that show's characters, but it's a chore to watch otherwise.

"1. There are no desk jobs in the ZA, nor are their stay at home mums. There is simply not enough people for anyone to sit out the labour to keep things going. Gregory wouldn't last as leader past the point he refused to get his hands dirty."

I'm with you on that last bit especially. I like Tara's character and want her to get more screen time, but this should have been interwoven with other storylines into several episodes.

Pretty much, yeah. At least they were smart enough to leave it open-ended. Worst-case scenario, and he's the new Morales.

This isn't really a plot-driven show, though. They could still interweave these storylines, IMO. And given this show has yet to stop bleeding viewers since the premiere, they might want to strongly consider it when brainstorming for Season 8.